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Is Your Dog’s Microchip Info Up to Date?

As of April this year, it became the law for your dog to be microchipped with current contact details.

Despite this now being a legal requirement, animal charity Dogs Trust have found that 37,283 dogs were left unclaimed in local authority kennels between April 2015 and March 2016, with 4,700 stray dogs unable to be reunited with their owners. These stats come from the charity’s annual survey of local authorities, which also found that over 3,000 stray dogs had to be put to sleep in the last year.

"We took a poll which found that only 9% of people saw updating their dog's microchip as a priority when they move home - that compares, unfavourably, to updating their digital television set."

"When you move home, a dog doesn't know its surroundings, but it naturally wants to go home, so it's probably the most crucial time in actually making sure that your chip details are up to date - especially if you don't have secure borders in your garden," said Jon Gerlis from Dogs Trust.

The charity did, however, say that the number of stray dogs handled by councils had decreased by 21%, which could be to do with the microchipping law.

Adrian Burder said “We hope this new law will significantly bring down the number of stray dogs and have a very positive effect on next year's Stray Dogs Survey results.”

Dog owners who fail to comply with the microchipping law can face a fine of up to £500. So, if you’ve moved house recently, please do make sure your dog’s microchip information is up to date!